Healthy resultsLITTLE ROCK — While we have been talking about Arkansas’s Private Option health-insurance program for a long time now, it’s actually only been active for five months. Those who work but can’t otherwise afford health insurance have only been signing up for eight months. Still, we are beginning to get some real data about our progress so far, and there is encouragement that this trailblazing experiment can live up to its potential. The first pie...

How America can hit the target for literacyA recently released Survey of Adult Skills by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed adults in the United States, despite having higher than average levels of educational attainment, have below average basic literacy and numeracy skills. The U.S. ranked 16th out of 23 countries in literacy proficiency, 21st in numeracy proficiency and 14th in problem solving in technology-rich environments. It is no secret our nation ...

Summer fun and friendshipFor those of us with school-age children, May Madness is almost over. No longer simply a time for tests, projects and wrapping up work before the end of the school year, May has become a time for year-end celebrations, ceremonies and get-togethers. May is the new December in terms of over-scheduled activities and events. Thank goodness it’s near the end of the month. I am exhausted, behind in all sorts of paperwork and processes and recently h...

Crawford Elementary flag-raising ceremonySince I am a lifetime member of both the American Legion and the VFW, I was honored to be a contingent of the VFW Honor Guard participating in the flag-raising ceremony conducted Friday morning at the Crawford Elementary School. It was a patriotic ceremony planned by the staff at the Crawford School honoring the American Flag and Veterans preceding Memorial Day. I will never forget the sight of all those little ones standing silently with hand...

Random thoughts on the passing sceneWill the Veterans Administration scandal wake up those people who have been blithely saying that what we need is a “single payer” system for medical care? Delays in getting to see a doctor have been a common denominator in government-run medical systems in England, Canada and Australia, among other places. Class warfare rhetoric would have us resenting “the top ten percent” in income. But that would be a farce, because most of us would be rese...

Memorial Day flag displayIt is a shame that on a day such as this, Memorial Day, that as I drove around the city of Russellville, I noticed too many instances of improperly displayed flags. On Memorial Day the flag is to be at half-staff until noon, then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. I would like to thank the ranger at Lake Dardanelle State Park for checking the flag code and properly displaying the flag there. On this most somber of occasions whe...

Hate Congress, keep my congressmanIn April, just 11 percent of Americans said they approved of Congress’ performance, and 80 percent said they disapproved, according to an Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll. A Gallup poll in May found only 22 percent of Americans say most members of Congress deserve re-election, while 72 percent say they do not. And yet, as of Tuesday morning, guess how many midterm primary elections congressional incumbents have lost? Zero. As P...

Courtesy and the handicappedI am a 93-year-old man who is confined to a wheelchair. However, thanks to my family and caregiver, I am able to get out and enjoy life. I love being able to go and worship, out to eat and shopping. I believe that my being able to get out and interact with the world has helped to keep me mentally healthy and happy. I do have one complaint. People are not as courteous as they could/should be. It is quite difficult for whoever is pushing my whee...

Campaign begins for statewide election on alcohol salesWhile most folks have been pre-occupied with the issue of whether gay people should have the right to marry, efforts have been under way quietly to make a social change in Arkansas law that would affect far more people. If you haven’t heard much about the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment, you will soon. Chances are that it will become a major issue for the Nov. 4 general election. The proposed amendment would repeal most of the crazy quil...

GOP, Dems learn from past electionsLITTLE ROCK — Republicans and Democrats won’t agree on much in this year’s election in Arkansas. But they both are on the same page when it comes to avoiding the mistakes that have plagued them in past campaigns. Tuesday’s primary showed just how much Democrats and Republicans are haunted by the ghosts of previous elections. Republicans were eager to fall in line behind establishment candidates after past elections where the GOP went with nomi...

Complete streetsIf City Engineer Michael Oakes’ plan for “Complete streets” as outlined in the May 4 issue of The Courier is implemented by the city of Russellville, it might be easy to walk to shops and bicycle to work; but there will be a huge detrimental effect on automobile, truck, bus and other traffic. Mr. Oakes’ plan to reduce current traffic lanes from 12 feet wide to 10 feet and reduce the number of lanes shows a total lack of concern for the people ...

Naked man playing violin near courthouse jailedA naked man playing violin in front of a downtown Portland courthouse Saturday refused to walk to a squad car and had to be carried by police. Police said they aren’t sure of the man’s identity. He told them his name is Matthew T. Mglej and that he is 25 years old. The brand of the violin was unknown on Saturday morning. The man was jailed under the Portland city code forbidding indecent exposure. Police said they warned the man numerous times...

Standing up to volunteerSince the founding of our democracy, the ideal of community service has been an integral part of our national character. As Thomas Jefferson said, “A debt of service is due from every man to his country proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have measured to him.” Time and time again, our leaders have called on us to meet this challenge. And always, Americans stand ready to offer their help. Our nation and our state are blessed ...

My vote is not important in Pope CountyOn Tuesday, May 20 I went to participate in the primary election. It was, without a doubt, the worst experience I have ever had voting. Our leaders in Little Rock told us that this new voter ID law they forced on us was only meant to protect us. Yet, my wife and I had to prove who we were, where we lived, and when we were born. This despite the information being on a computer screen in front of the poll worker as well as on our IDs that the wo...

Aquatic centerWe live in Russellville and we drive to the beautiful well-run aquatic center in Clarksville or to C-4 in Morrilton to swim laps three times a week. Our niece is an architect, so we know how much education and training it takes to be an architect. When an architect looked at Russellville and suggested our proposed aquatic center be located at the Vick Field site, it was shocking that the city council gave no credence to this and tabled the pro...

ShelterBox: A truly great ideaTo say that we live in perilous times would be the understatement of the century. Of course this century is not very old. I thought of this when I decided to write a column about a fantastic concept that more of us, not just in these United States but all across the world, need to consider. The concept involves being prepared for a natural or man-made disaster. Because of climate change, wars, national and local disasters and, God-forbid, a nu...

Complete Street VisionI believe Mr. Gray let the cat out of the bag when he stated he was a runner and a cyclist. Apparently he is designing the streets of Russellville to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists over the majority of automobiles, buses, etc. Mr. Gray was right about one thing, it has calmed traffic down, or slowed it down in spite of posted speed limits. If you meet a log truck or a school bus or a wide load you had better be prepared to move over, slo...

GOP avoids past mistakes in Senate picksWASHINGTON — Tuesday's elections are the best evidence yet that Republicans are avoiding previous mistakes and improving their chances of controlling the Senate during President Barack Obama's final two years in office. GOP voters again chose solidly conservative nominees while rejecting the most extreme and outlandish types who led the party to painful losses in 2010 and 2012. The simple way to view this year's results, thus far, is to say "e...

An analogy between poverty and snow stormsMany years ago, in upstate New York, there was a lady who was caught in a fierce snow storm that produced conditions called a “whiteout.” That’s when the snow is falling so thick and fast that all you can see in any direction is just sheer white. This lady wandered around in the storm, struggling to try to get home, but there was no way for her to know where home was. Eventually she collapsed in the snow and died — something like 50 feet from ...

Is this the way to select our judges?In a democracy, how we select officeholders is more important than whom we elect in a single election. That being the case, it’s time to reconsider how we select judges and Supreme Court justices. It’s not been a good election cycle. For example, last year, nursing home operator Michael Morton donated thousands of dollars through seven different political action committees to the campaign of Circuit Judge Mike Maggio, who at the same time redu...